I’ve seen tenors made from discarded Gibson tenor necks leftovers in banjo shops here in Ireland. There is a market for them here in Ireland. They only have moderate value. It’s up to you how close you want to go to making the pot look original. I personally wouldn’t bother with the look and make a nice sounding tenor banjo. Get the heel fixed or just buy another discarded neck.

Great minds think alike. I recently got a 1926 TB Granada archtop converted to a flathead 5. But it came with the 4 string neck, archtop tone ring and the springs and ball bearings and thinking of doing the same as a retirement project (the conversion was my retirement present to me!). Good luck!

Tim, I like all your gear in the first picture! :)

I think you should scrap the old neck...should be easy to find another tenor neck you want to build one. Good luck!

My current tenor has a story like this, so it's certainly doable.

Like 10-12 years ago I was into bluegrass banjo, and picked up what seemed to be exactly as you described. It was an old KK10 tenor neck on what looks like a sullivan archtop pot. The neck was a wreck and unusable, a bad finish job had ruined the (newish) resonator, but the pot was in great condition. It was still a great local find.

Sat in a closet until this past Christmas when I'm starting to play more irish with my kids, and I decide to (re)make it into a tenor. I picked up a new reso and neck from gold tone and now it plays and sounds great. I wish I'd found a 19 fret neck for it, but it's ok like it is. At this point it's like the ship of theseus, where none of the parts are leftovers anymore... (because I assume I have a sullivan ring, not a vintage one, I can't rightly tell).

I looked hard for an old OPF tenor neck, and came up empty handed. So "should be easy to find one" is great until you try it. I found several necks, but most are for tube and plate flanges. I would be continuing this hunt except I just found a good deal on a 1925 TB-3 ball bearing (which sound awesome for irish).

Once you have completed the project, you will have a Gibson tenor banjo (by the rules of Bluegrass).

Then, convert that Gibson banjo into a 5 string.

Next, make a Gibson tenor with the leftover neck, convert to 5 string, and on and on.

If you look up Chasmo Kam on Facebook, he has tons of old (primarily Gibson) banjo parts and projects and might be able to help you out.
He’s out here in oregon.

Thanks guys! (And well played Joel Hooks, lol.)

I guess given the condition of the neck and uncertainty of the repair, maybe it is best served as a wall hanger — the only other part I’d have to work with is the tone ring.

I’m in no rush but will keep an eye peeled for a potential project and check out Chasmo… even looking through Guitar Center’s site, they have some old tenors at reasonable-ish prices, and while ya never know what you’ll get, they do have a good return policy.

Those old 40 hole arch top tone rings are valuable, and they show up on BHO Classifieds all the time.

There is a certain value, at least nostalgic value, to keep it with it's original banjo. Since I believe you said you did NOT cut the rim, you can always put the arch top ring back in service. It is also of some value if you decide to sell the banjo someday. I would offer the same thought about the original tenor neck.

Every pre-war TB and PB conversion I have in my collection retains its original 4 string neck, in the tenor case, or on my display shelf.

quote:

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Originally posted by jwold

If you look up Chasmo Kam on Facebook, he has tons of old (primarily Gibson) banjo parts and projects and might be able to help you out.
He’s out here in oregon.

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I saw this post and looked up Chasmo, became FB friends and had the best conversation, and yes, I'm getting some bits and pieces from him - wonderfully kind, informative and generous with his time.  Can recommend.